River Rivelin - Rivelin Valley Road

Rivelin Valley Road

Rivelin Valley Road was built in 1907 between Malin Bridge and Rivelin Mill Bridge to connect with the main Sheffield to Manchester road, now the A57. Prior to this the valley had no road, just a series of cart tracks connecting the various industrial mills. The building of the road was proposed in 1905 by the local water board, which owned the land; the Duke of Norfolk also donated 4.5 hectares of his land in the area for the project. Work started in November 1905 and provided employment for 176 unemployed men. The unemployment rate was particularly high at the time and the opportunity to provide work was a contributing factor in making the decision to build the road. Raw materials for the construction of the road were provided by Clough Field quarry on the southern slopes of the valley below Crosspool. Over 700 lime trees were purchased from Dixon’s of Chester in 1906 at a cost of £147. The limes were planted to line the road for a distance of 3.5 miles (5.6 km), making it the second longest lime tree avenue in Britain. The road was opened on 1 September 1907, although work was not completed until June 1908. The final cost of construction was £30,000. Local people quickly christened the road “The New Road”, a name which was still being used many years later. The success of the project in providing work for the unemployed prompted Sheffield Corporation to press ahead with plans to connect the new road with the Sheffield suburbs of Crookes and Walkley. Rivelin Valley Road is now designated as the A6101.

The valley was especially loved by the "corn law rhymer" Ebenezer Elliott. There is a rock by the side of Black Brook with his name carved on it where he was renowned to sit and appreciate nature. Elliott wrote the lyrical poem "Farewell To Rivelin" in honour of the valley, with the lines:

Beautiful river! goldenly shining,

Where, with the cistus, woodbines are twining,

Birklands around thee, mountains above thee,

Rivelin wildest! Do I not love thee.